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Still no verdict in tight CSD race

Only 20 votes was the difference Monday between two men vying for a spot on the El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board.
Both Bill Vandegrift and Chuck Hammond remained optimistic Monday morning while the El Dorado County Election’s Office continues a required manual tally of one percent of the ballots.
“We’re still going through all the steps required to finalize the process,” said County Registrar Bill Schultz, who expected results later this week.
The latest counts showed Vandegrift with an ever-so-slight 20 vote lead, with 4,856 votes to Hammond’s 4,836.
Both men pulled roughly 16 percent of the vote, while clear victors Tony Rogozinski and Wayne Lowery each maintained about 19 percent. There were three seats up for grabs in the Nov. 2 election. Rogozinski was running as an incumbent, while Lowery ran as a challenger after recently retiring as CSD director.
“People keep telling me congratulations and I hope they’re right,” said Vandegrift, also an incumbent about the tight race. “It definitely goes to show that every vote counts.”
Hammond remained hopeful, but said that most of all he’s proud of all the young people he mentors as an athletics coach who came out to support him.
“That in itself was a victory, all of my kids going out in the rain to spread the word,” he said. “If we win it will just be icing on the cake.”
He went on to say that he and Vandegrift recently joked about the close race: “I told him he’s making me work too hard and he told me the same thing.”
Whichever man takes victory will be sworn in to office in January.